Kajaanin Linna

Central Finland


Picturesquely set on a river island in the town centre, Kajaani's castle was constructed between 1604 and 1619 to guard the Swedish border from Russia, and destroyed when Russian forces besieged it during the Great Northern War in 1716. The ruins show all the signs of damage by war and time. It’s a fine spot to bask on the grass on a sunny day.

Nearby, a tar-boat channel has a lock built to enable boats laden with tar barrels to pass the Ämmäkoski rapids.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Central Finland attractions

1. Kainuun Museo

0.55 MILES

Near the train station, the town museum has a good permanent exhibition on Kajaani’s history from prehistoric times to the mid-1900s, including…

2. Paltaniemen kuvakirkko

4.93 MILES

Paltaniemi's enchantingly weathered wooden church was built in 1726 and contains some of Finland’s most interesting church paintings: rustic 18th-century…

3. Eino Leino-Talo

4.94 MILES

The Eino Leino-Talo is a re-creation of the place where Leino, one of Finland’s foremost independence-era poets, was born in 1878. It’s a lovely lakeside…

4. Sotkamon kirkko

21.41 MILES

Sotkamo's 19th-century wooden church rises above the treeline on the lake shore.